Chandigarh Police arrests two from Rajasthan for ‘defrauding’ woman of Rs 15 lakh in ‘digital arrest’ scam

The accused have been identified as Poonam Chand (29) and Jai Parkash (21), both being from Phalodi district in Rajasthan.

According to police, the victim, Sunita of Chandigarh, had received a call from individuals posing as officials of a courier company and the narcotics department. They falsely claimed that a parcel in her name contained illegal items and coerced her into transferring Rs 15 lakh for “verification and clearance”.

During the investigation, it emerged that the defrauded amount was moved through accounts in IndusInd Bank and UCO Bank before being transferred to Bandhan Bank accounts held by the accused. Both the accused revealed that they had sold their bank account kits — including cheque books, ATM cards, and passbooks — to others for commission and facilitating the scam, police said.

Following technical analysis and coordination with Rajasthan Police, a Chandigarh Police team arrested the duo from Phalodi. Investigations indicate that their accounts were used in multiple cyber frauds. The police are now tracing digital evidence and analysing financial trails.

The police have urged citizens not to trust callers claiming to be from law enforcement agencies or asking for money to avoid arrest or verification. People are advised not to rent out SIM cards, verify active SIMs through the TAFCOP portal, and restrict WhatsApp privacy settings to block unknown callers.

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